13-letter words containing a, d, s
- black disease — an infectious necrotic hepatitis in sheep and occasionally cattle caused by toxins produced by infection with species of Clostridial. Secondary to liver fluke infestation, the disease is characterized by sudden death. So-called because of the black discolouration of subcutaneous tissues due to congestion and haemorrhage seen at post-mortem
- black mustard — a Eurasian plant, Brassica (or Sinapsis) nigra, with clusters of yellow flowers and pungent seeds from which the condiment mustard is made: family Brassicaceae (crucifers)
- black studies — a program of studies in black history and culture offered by a school or college, often including Afro-American history and black literature.
- black-a-vised — having a dark complexion.
- bladder senna — a Eurasian leguminous plant, Colutea arborescens, with yellow and red flowers and membranous inflated pods
- blandishments — Blandishments are pleasant things that someone says to another person in order to persuade them to do something.
- blood sausage — a kind of black sausage made from minced pork fat, pig's blood, and other ingredients
- blood-stained — stained with blood: a bloodstained knife.
- bloody caesar — a drink consisting of vodka, juice made from clams and tomatoes, and usually Worcester sauce and hot pepper sauce
- bloody sunday — (in Northern Ireland) 30th January 1972, when British soldiers shot dead thirteen marchers in Londonderry who were protesting against the UK government's policy of internment
- board measure — a system of units for measuring wood based on the board foot. 1980 board feet equal one standard
- boarding fees — fees paid for boarding at a school
- boarding pass — A boarding pass is a card that a passenger must have when boarding a plane or a boat.
- boardinghouse — a private house in which accommodation and meals are provided for paying guests
- body and soul — You use body and soul to mean every part of you, including your mind and your emotions.
- body snatcher — (formerly) a person who robbed graves and sold the corpses for dissection
- bois de vache — dried buffalo dung, used as fuel by Canadian and U.S. fur trappers in the 18th and 19th centuries.
- bomb disposal — Bomb disposal is the job of dealing with bombs which have not exploded, by taking out the fuse or by blowing them up in a controlled explosion.
- bonin islands — a group of 27 volcanic islands in the W Pacific: occupied by the US after World War II; returned to Japan in 1968. Largest island: Chichijima. Area: 103 sq km (40 sq miles)
- boom-and-bust — characteristic of a period of economic prosperity followed by a depression.
- boots and all — making every effort; with no holds barred
- border states — slave states bordering on the free states before the Civil War: Mo., Ky., Va., Md., & Del.
- borna disease — viral disease found in mammals, esp horses
- bounced flash — a flash bounced off a reflective surface, as a ceiling or wall, to illuminate a subject indirectly.
- boundary scan — The use of scan registers to capture state from device input and output pins. IEEE Standard 1149.1-1990 describes the international standard implementation (sometimes called JTAG after the Joint Test Action Group which began the standardisation work).
- boys' brigade — (in Britain) an organization for boys, founded in 1883, with the aim of promoting discipline and self-respect
- braggadocious — boastful
- branded goods — goods that are identifiable as being the product of a particular manufacturer or marketing company
- brass foundry — a foundry that makes things from brass
- brassfounding — the practice of making things from brass
- bridal shower — a party, held for a woman before her wedding, to which her friends bring gifts
- bristol board — a heavy smooth cardboard of fine quality, used for printing and drawing
- british india — the 17 provinces of India formerly governed by the British under the British sovereign: ceased to exist in 1947 when the independent states of India and Pakistan were created
- broadly based — Something that is broadly based involves many different kinds of things or people.
- brown mustard — black mustard. See under mustard (def 2).
- bundle sheath — a layer of cells in plant leaves and stems that surrounds a vascular bundle.
- buridan's ass — an example intended to show the deficiency of reason. An ass standing equidistant from two identical heaps of oats starves to death because reason provides no grounds for choosing to eat one rather than the other
- burt standish — Burt L. pseudonym of Gilbert Patten.
- business card — A person's business card or their card is a small card which they give to other people, and which has their name and details of their job and company printed on it.
- bustard quail — button quail.
- bustard-quail — any of several birds of the family Turnicidae, of warmer parts of the Old World, resembling but not related to the true quail. Also called bustard quail, hemipode.
- buzzard's bay — an inlet of the Atlantic, in SE Massachusetts. 30 miles (48 km) long.
- by (all) odds — by far; unquestionably
- cactus dahlia — a double-flowered variety of dahlia
- cakes and ale — the good things of life; worldly pleasures
- called strike — a pitch not swung at by a batter but ruled a strike by the umpire.
- canada balsam — a yellow transparent resin obtained from the balsam fir. Because its refractive index is similar to that of glass, it is used as an adhesive in optical devices and as a mounting medium for microscope specimens
- candidateship — candidature
- candle grease — the wax which is used in the manufacture of candles
- candleberries — Plural form of candleberry.